Fountain-pen.



F. M. ASHLEY.

FOUNTAIN PEN.

APPLICATION FILED IEB.27, 1912.

Patented Apr. 7, 1914.

5 mm; ntoz W COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON. D L.

FRANK IVL ASHLEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FOUNTAIN-PEN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Original application filed December 3, 1.906, Serial No. 345,979. Divided and. this application filed February Serial No. 680,324.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK M. ASHLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fountain-Pens, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fountain pens and is a division of my application for improvements in fountain pens filed December 3rd, 1906, Ser. No. 345,979, which was allowed on September 2nd, 1911, and issued March 26/1912 as Patent 1,021,398.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a fountain pen having a valve construction by means of which the ink may be confined in the reservoir when the pen is carried in the pocket of the owner, regardless of the position of the pen therein.

A further object is to provide means'for operating said valve from the rear end of the barrel or reservoir.

A further object is to support the valve and valve-stem from the front end of the pen, and in unattached relation with the rear plug through which the valve is operated.

A further object is to provide a valve construction which is connected with the feedplug and longitudinally movable therewith.

A further object is to provide a pen having no joints in the barrel except at its rear end.

A further object is to provide a construc tion in which the valve and stem may be removed from the front end of the barrel.

Referring to the drawings which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a fountain pen embodying and disclosing my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view disclosing a modilied form of construct-ion. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side View of the valve-stem or tube, shown partly in section. Fig. 4 is an end view of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan exterior view of the complete pen. Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view on line 6-6 of Fig. 2. Fig.7 is a cross sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the rear end of the feed-plug shown in Fig. 2, and which may be reduced in diameter and threaded to form the construction shown in Fig. 1, as will be readily understood.

Referring to Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6, A indicates the barrel of the pen and is provided with a reservoir B, the forward end of which is preferably reduced in diameter to form a bore B. A feed-plug C is fitted in the bore B to slidingly engage same and be held by frictlonal engagement therewith. The rear end of the feed-plug O is slightly reduced in diameter as indicated at G; a thread is formed on the surface of the reduced portion; and a cap D provided with a thread on its interior cylindrical surface is screwed on the portion G. The feed-plug is preferably provided with a vertical slot C in its rear end, and the end of said plug abuts a rotatable valve E which valve is held in an annular groove D formed between the end of the cap D and the feed-plug.

A valve-stem comprising a tube E is connected to the valve E and the end of same is in open communication with the slot C and feed-duct C formed in the feed-plug. Two ports E and E respectively are formed in the valve E and located diametrically opposite to each other, and two corresponding ports D and D respectively are formed in the end of the cap D. The valve-stem 1*) passes through a central opening in the cap D and is supported by the wall thereof so that the valve-stem will be held in axial alinement with the axis of the reservoir at all times.

It will be obvious that the lower ports E and D may be dispensed with if desired, but

by their use a little more ink will flow from the reservoir when the pen is nearly empty than would flow if only the upper ports are used, and also the feed is a little more regular and uniform in its action. The rear end of the stem or tube E is provided with a plug F which is pinned to the stem by a pin G, and the exposed end of the plug F is pro vided with a flattened projecting portion F. A rear cap H is screw threaded to the barrel at I and is provided with a cross slot H of considerable depth into which the projection F fits freely so that when the cap H is rotated, the stem is also rotated to open or close the valve E by moving the ports E and D out of or into register with each other.

The diameter of the reservoir B is onlarged at the rear end to provide a shoulder B against which is placed a disk J, and

against the disk J is a packing ring. K, and a disk L is screwed into the barrel against the packing ring K, to compress it on the surface of the cylindrical plunger M, which is attached to the rear cap H by a pm. N as shown. The plunger M is provided wit-Ira shoulder M adjacent its inner end which prevents the plunger from passing the ring J on the outward stroke of the plunger.

To fill the reservoir, the ports are brought into register, the front end of the barrel submerged in ink, and the plunger drawn outward from the reservoir, causing ink to flow through the ink-duct C and C and through the tubular stem E and inlet opening 0, to the reservoir B where it is trapped. On the inward stroke of the plunger, the small amount of ink in the stem is first forced out, and then the air in the reservoir or a portion of same is forced out.

It will be observed that on removal of the feed-plug from the barrel, the valve and valve-stem is removed with same as all the parts are of less diameter than the diameter of the bore B, and in adjusting the pen point P in the bore B the valve is carried with the feedplug so that the adjustment does not disarrange the valve. It will also be observed that if the ports D and D were not used and only the shoulder on the inner side of the cap was used to hold the rotatable valve element against the rear end of the feed-plug, I would still have a valve construction since the movement of the valvestem would rotate the ports E and E out of or into register with the slot C which is a part of the feed-duct C thus giving me my preferred form of construction.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 7 the construction is the same as that described except in the following particulars: The tube stem Q is provided with a square nut R fastened thereon at its rear end, which slidingly fits in a square recess R formed in the end of the rear cap S, and the outlet into the reservoir T is directly through the end of the tubular stem Q, and may be closed by abutment against the inner end of the rear cap. It is obvious that this construction could be applied to Fig. 1 to advantage. Another modification is in the valve construction. An annular shoulder U is formed in the barrel. The rotating valve element Q, abuts this shoulder and is held against same by a disk -W which frictionally engages the bore, and is provided with a port or ports W. By turning the rear cap S, the valve element Q is rotated relative to disk W to open or close the ports. By removing the feed-plug X, the valve and stem can be removed through the front end of the barrel, and the space between the valve and rear end of the feed-plug may be kept at a proper distance from the ports to permit of filling the reservoir through the tube Q,

the slot Y corresponding to the slot .0 in Fig. 1. 7

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new 1. A fountain pen comprising a casing having a reservoir therein and an opening at its forward end, a feed plug located in said opening and provided with an ink duct,a rotatable valve abutting the end of said feed-plug having a port normally in open communication with the duct in said plug, a valve stem extending from the valve into the reservoir; means engaging the stem for rotating said valve to close communication between the reservoir and said ink duct, said feed-plug valve and stem being together removable from the forward end of the casing.

2. A fountain pen comprising a casing having a reservoir therein and an opening at its forward end, a feed-plug located in said opening and provided with an ink duct, a rotatable valve abutting and connected to the end of said feed-plug having a port 1101'- mally in open communication with the duct in said plug, a valve stem extending within the reservoir, means engaging the stem for rotating said valve to close communication between the reservoir and said ink duct, said feed-plug, valve and stem being freely removable together from the end of the casing.

3. A fountain pen comprising a casing having a reservoir therein and an opening at its forward end, a feedplug located in said opening provided with an ink duct, a rotatable valve abutting said feed-plug and having a port normally in open communication with said ink duct, and means extending from said valve tothe rear end of said casing by which said valve may be rotated to close communication between said reservoir and ink duct, said feed-plug and valve being freely removable from the casing.

4. A fountain pen comprising a casing having a reservoir therein and an opening at its forward end, a feedplug located in said opening and provided with an ink duct which extends longitudinally of said feedplug and is provided with a vertical extension at its rear end and a rotatable valve provided with two ports located diametrically opposite each other and normally in open communication with said ink duct, and means connected to said valve and extending to the rear end of said casing through which said valve may be rotated to cut off communication between said reservoir and said ink duct.

5. A fountain pen comprising a casing having a reservoir therein and an opening at its forward end, a feed-plug located in said opening and provided with an ink duct which extends longitudinally of said feedplug and is provided with a transverse extension at its rear end and a rotatable valve providedv with two ports located diametrically opposite each other one above the other and in open communication with said ink duet when the pen is held in position for writing, and means for connecting said valve and said feed-plug together.

6. A fountain pen comprising a casing having a reservoir therein, a feed-plug held in one end thereof, a cap having a port communicating with the reservolr, said cap being fastened to the inner end of said feedplug, a valve rotatably mounted in said cap and snugly held against the inner end of said feed-plug and having a valve stem extending through said reservoir whereby the valve may be turned into and out of register With the port in the cap.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York this 20th day of February A. D. 1912.

FRANK M. ASHLEY.

Witnesses MINNIE S. MILLER, MANUEL M. Voi'r.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

